Author: KEYT

Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Leadership for Fiesta 2026 has been solidified for yet another year of celebrating Santa Barbara’s community, heritage, and history.

As announced today by Old Spanish Days, festivities will be spearheaded by El Presidente 2026 Colin Hayward – an active member of the board since 2018 who officially received the board chairman’s gavel at Fiesta’s Annual Meeting back in October.

Hayward has over 10 years of involvement in Fiesta’s El Desfile Histórico, as both a parade marshal and a member of the Parade Committee. He also served as Chair for the Safety & Security and Parade Marshals committees in 2021, and been a member of the committees for Fiesta Pequeña and Horseman’s Rendezvous.

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“I feel a deep sense of anticipation and hope as we look to the year ahead. It is a time filled with fresh possibilities for growth, creativity, and meaningful connections. With the dedication of our Board of Directors, the support of our volunteers, the passion of the dance community, and the generosity of our sponsors and neighbors, we will come together to celebrate our heritage while lighting the way toward an inspiring future,” reads a statement from Hayward.

Other members of leadership will include: Tony Miller as El Primer Vicepresidente, Casie Kilgore as La Segunda Vicepresidenta, Christopher Gusman will served as El Secretario, David Bolton as El Tesorero, and Division Chiefs: Elva Cosio (Celebrations), Missy Robledo Pulido (Dance and Entertainment), David Bolton (External Relations and History), Sean Malis (Mercados), and Sarah Brewer (Pageantry).

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to our El Presidente 2026 Colin Hayward, and to the newly elected Board of Directors. I look forward to supporting them in every way I can as I continue to serve on the board as a Past President Director,” reads a statement from El Presidente 2025 Fritz Olenberger.

Fiesta 2026 is scheduled to take place from August 5th – 9th, 2026.

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Jarrod Zinn

LOMPOC, Calif. (KEYT) – Ashlee Buzzard appeared in court in Lompoc this morning on her felony charge of false imprisonment.

Ashlee is the mother of 9-year-old Melodee buzzard, who was reported missing in early October.

The charge stems from a conversation with a man named Tyler Brewer at her Vandenberg Village home.

Ashlee became agitated when Brewer mentioned a location along a three-day drive Ashlee took with Melodee across several states — the last time Melodee was seen.

She’s accused of preventing Brewer from leaving the home.

Ashlee was arrested the following day and has since pleaded not guilty.

This morning, Ashlee and her attorney said they are ready to move forward with court proceedings, which will continue tomorrow morning.

A small number of locals who have been following Melodee’s disappearance were in attendance.

“I think this what she came here for today was nonsense,” says Khristiana Valrie, who lives In Vandenberg Village. “They should be bringing her to court about where her daughter is. I believe Melodee is somewhere in the area. And like I said, I don’t believe she is alive, but I’m willing to do whatever I can, even if it’s a bunch of us searching around for her.”

Law enforcement affirms this remains a missing person case, and they continue to ask for the public’s help finding Melodee.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Sheriff’s criminal investigations division.

The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s office is also assisting in the investigation.

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Jarrod Zinn

BUELLTON, Calif. (KEYT) – Bookworms in the Santa Ynez and Goleta valleys have a chance to add more books to the libraries through a unique collaboration.

The California State Library awarded over $15,000 in Zip Book Grants to the Goleta and Santa Ynez Valley libraries for the 2025-26 cycle.

The program kicked off today, and the Buellton library is excited to add books to their new location, which opened in February.

The program allows patrons to help expand the library’s inventory by ordering books on Amazon not currently on the shelves.

The books get sent to the reader first, then added to the shelves upon return to the local branch.

“So you come into the library, or you can give us a call,” says Erin Herzog, Solvang Library branch manager. “You just need to be an active member of the Goleta Valley Library System, and then the book needs to be available on Amazon and needs to be something that’s not in our collection. So if we already have it then we want to get something new, and it needs to be under $50 in value.”

The Solvang branch manager says the 15-year program has seen plenty of success over the years.

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Alissa Orozco

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Announced just before the busy holiday season, employees at Santa Cruz Markets in Goleta and Santa Barbara are standing up against unfair labor practices by threatening to go on strike.

Announced through their union, United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 770, employees at the West Montecito Street and the Hollister Avenue locations say the decision was made through a unanimous membership vote to protest Santa Cruz Market’s labor violations.

These violations include “coercion, surveillance, unilateral changes, and bad faith that have prevented essential grocery workers from getting the fair contract they deserve.”

Local 770 represents Santa Cruz Markets clerks and meat department workers in Goleta and Santa Barbara; their bargaining committee says workers will continue to fight for a fair contact that will both reward and protect their hard work.

“We’ve had enough of their union-busting tactics that undermine workers and silence our voices. And if they thought Santa Cruz Markets members could be scared away from standing up for our rights, they just found out that they are very wrong.”

“An Unfair Labor Practice strike is always a last resort, and we will continue to push Santa Cruz Markets to do the right thing and come back to the table to bargain in good faith.”

Both sides are heading back to the bargaining table tomorrow.

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Dave Alley

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – PCPA is bringing Disney’s Frozen to life this holiday season with a much-anticipated six-week long run inside the Marian Theatre on the Allan Hancock College campus.

“Frozen is just a wonderful, family-friendly show,” said Lesley McKinnell, who plays Elsa in the show. “Honestly, it’s so great for everyone of all ages, but I would say especially the littles. They really do love Frozen, and just the pieces in it, the songs in it. They just really are wonderful tunes that people seem to enjoy year after year.”

The show is based on the iconic 2013 Disney Academy Award-winning animated film, along with the subsequent Tony Awards-nominated Broadway musical that followed.

“There’s a lot of additions, a musical additions to the show, songs that they have heard before that are from the movie, but that they also have not heard,” said McKinnell. “There’s a couple like Anna and Elsa, both have song new songs, additions and Kristoff as well. He doesn’t really sing in the movie or the first staged musical of it. He didn’t really have a song, but he has a whole song now. Hans has a whole song now, and so it’ll be fun to be experiencing the old numbers that everyone’s used to, but also see the new ones that it’s like, ‘oh, that’s fun to have a little fresh new song in there.'”

Set in the fictional wintery kingdom of Arendelle, Frozen is an ideal production for PCPA to hold as its annual holiday show, which typically draws its biggest audiences of the year.

“It’s nice because here, we don’t get white Christmases,” said Molly Dobbs, who plays Anna in the show. “So it’s a moment to kind of feel into that space of blisteringly cold, and you want a cup of hot chocolate, and you want to be with your family and wrap up in a warm coat and go and see some real life snow on stage, so it fits perfectly with the season, and I think the Christmas show is a big tradition for a lot of families. They come in, they see it, and that’s one of their Christmas traditions, so to have it be so on theme feels nice. This one really is a Christmas show. It feels nice to be able to to bring exactly what we know families are wanting.”

PCPA describes Frozen as a show that features incredible characters on a magical adventure through snowstorms, sisterhood, and self-discovery that includes magnificent music, heart, as well as a flurry of fun.

“The heart of the story I think is just even better in this stage version because you just really see the relationship between Elsa and Anna and their struggle to connect with each other and the secrets that they have to keep to keep each other safe or love one another,” said McKinnell. “I just think it’s a really beautiful picture of sacrificial love to one another and just really loving others as yourself.” 

The show premiered earlier this month on Nov. 6, and through the first several performances, the actors describe the reaction has been extremely positive.

“It’s been so much fun,” said Dobbs. “I’ve already met a lot of kids. I’ll go out and I’ll meet the princesses in the lobby, and they’re like, ‘this is my first time I’ve ever gone to the theater,’ so that’s really, really special because everybody up here remembers their first time going to the theater. It’s lovely to see families. It’s really nice and heartwarming and you walk away feeling exhausted and so gratified and so fulfilled.”

Disney’s Frozen runs in the Marian Theatre through Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025 and will actually return to the stage for PCPA next summer outside in the Solvang Festival Theater from July 5, 2026 through Aug. 2, 2026.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit pcpa.org.

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Mike Klan

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – Dos Pueblos raced out to a 10-1 halftime lead and cruised to a 15-6 season-opening win over Santa Barbara.

Kyra Jones and Dev Wigo led a balanced Chargers attack with three goals apiece.

Cierra Furneaux added two goals while seven other DP players each registered one goal.

Sophomore standout goalie Reagan Mack made it difficult on the Dons attack with 14 saves.

Santa Barbara is young but has a talented core of sophomores and freshman so the team should really improve throughout the season with more game experience.

Sophomore star Jules Horton and freshman Violette Bailey each had two goals for Santa Barbara.

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) People in favor of rent stabilization rallied in front of the Santa Barbara City Hall before Tuesday’s council meeting.

They want to keep the issue on the minds of city leaders even when it is not on their agenda.

Supporters including Ana Arce of the nonprofit CAUSE shared their opinions during public comments.

“Every single month people are getting displaced, they are getting priced out and some jobs, because of all the federal cuts, they are forcing people to take mandatory vacation time or furlough time, which is also going to impact them further on being able to afford the rents,” said Arce.

Arce believes a compromise can be made with mom and pop landlords who have to cover their mortgages.

Tenant Organizer Stanley Tzankov said they plan to return in December, too.

“The city staff is working on a work plan that they will present in December and right now we are urging the council and staff to not just pass any Rent Stabilization Ordinance, but to do one that is meaningful and common sense and applicable to all tenants, as much as the law applies, because we are in an affordability crisis, we have been in an affordability crisis, so we need something that is very meaningful,” said Tzankov.

There won’t be another Santa Barbara City Council meeting in November, but the council is expected to take up the topic again by the end of the year.

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John Palminteri

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) – If you are on the hunt for that unique item made by a local artist, 46 of them have their holiday gifts on display in one location this shopping season.

On one special night this week they will also help people in need.

The artists are all in. This is a annual tradition for the The Crimson Holiday store, located in the La Cumbre Plaza, as well as for many shoppers. The store is full of newly crafted items from clothing to jewelry.

Shoppers will also find candles named after local areas, such as Montecito, Ojai, and the Mesa. It has custom created scrabble boards – including one with all Santa Barbara locations. Potholders with the World Champion Los Angeles Dodgers logo on them. There’s leather products, handmade items at every turn, gift cards and chocolate.

The store can be a casual pop in, but many shoppers tend to browse for awhile then buy.

Store owner, Marilyn Dannehower, says it is a bright and inviting location.

“We have people that spend an hour just to see everything. We try to keep it no more than three of any genre. I spend a lot of time talking to people to make sure their item fits in here, so we have the best-of-the-best and we are also looking at people who can make something where someone would walk in and say ‘this is the perfect Christmas present for somebody on my list.'”

Some of the artists and crafters plan to sell during the Sunday art walk at the beach.

Some are only out a few times a year at events or special sales, including this one in the Crimson Holiday store.

On Thursday, the store is having a special holiday cookie sale from 5:00 to 7:00 pm with the proceeds going to the Food Bank of Santa Barbara County.

For more information, visit A Crimson Holiday Store

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Tracy Lehr

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) A pilot program that shuttles people of all abilities up and down State Street is being extended.

It’s called The Loop Shuttle.

City leaders said 16,700 people have taken a ride on the shuttle since the pilot program began in May.

Locals and tourists have ridden on the three shuttles contracted with Santa Barbara-based Sweep inc.

One of the three is wheelchair accessible.

The pilot program was slated to hit the breaks next week, but Santa Barbara City Council members, present at Tuesday’s meeting, voted unanimously to extend the program until May 2026 and to add a fourth shuttle that will also be wheelchair accessible.

State Street Master Planner Tess Harris said people are able to take a survey following each ride and so far the feedback has been great.

“Over and over again, we hear really positive feedback with a fair split of people going for entertainment, shopping, just sight seeing, restaurants and just exploring Downtown, so, it is just a great addition to our Downtown community and it is something we are excited to continue and I look forward to seeing all of our members of the public on The Loop,” said Harris.

City of Santa Barbara Finance Director Keith diMartini said enjoyed a romantic ride this month.

“It was great, it felt great to be Downtown, my wife and I were celebrating our 20th anniversary last weekend, we hopped on the shuttle at Stearns Wharf and rode it up a couple of blocks and went to a wine tasting room, it was super fun and the driver was really nice,” said diMartini.

Deputy City Administrator Anthony Valdez said he is looking forward to giving it a try.

“We want to make sure there is a safe State Street, that is accessible to everyone, all the families can come out with the kiddos , the seniors can come out and enjoy State Street, and be able to move up and down, ” said Valdez, “It is a long walk, it is uphill we just want to make sure the families and those with accessibility issues have access to State Street and can enjoy it on the weekends along with everyone else.”

Move Santa Barbara County Program Administrator Barry Remis said its been a nice addition to the closure along State Street that allows people to get out of their cars and enjoy the area.

“What the city implemented was The State Street Loop which are electric vehicles, kind of like golf carts but better than that, where they transport people for free from Sola to the Waterfront,” said Remis.

The Loop Shuttle program will continue between the Arlington Theatre and the Dolphin Fountain Thursdays through Sundays from noon-to 7 p.m.

The fourth free shuttle vehicle should be to be added by Christmas.

The addition, they will move in pairs, shortening the current 20-30 minute wait times on designated blocks along State Street.

For more information visit https://santabarbaraca.gov.

Your News Channel will have more reaction to the pilot programs extension tonight on the news.

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News Channel 3-12

Below is a press release from the City of Santa Barbara regarding the appointment of their new City Attorney, John Doimas

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The City of Santa Barbara is pleased to announce the appointment of John Doimas as the new City Attorney, following a vote by the City Council. Mr. Doimas brings over 13 years of dedicated service to the City, most recently serving as Assistant City Attorney, where he has been a trusted legal advisor on some of the City’s most complex and high-impact matters.

Mr. Doimas began his tenure with the City in 2012 as a Deputy City Attorney and was promoted to Assistant City Attorney in 2017. Over the years, he has played a pivotal role in shaping key City policies and ordinances, leading sensitive investigations, and supporting the creation of the Civilian Oversight Commission. His legal leadership has been instrumental in advancing housing safety through receivership and unfair competition cases, and he has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to public service, transparency, and community well-being.

Mayor Randy Rowse praised the appointment, stating, “John brings a rare combination of legal expertise, collaborative spirit, and deep understanding of our community. His appointment ensures continuity, stability, and a strong legal foundation for the City’s future.”

In his new role, Mr. Doimas will serve as the City’s chief legal advisor, overseeing the City Attorney’s Office and providing legal counsel to the City Council, City departments, and various boards and commissions.

Originally from Chicago, Mr. Doimas earned his law degree from Loyola University Chicago and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and history from DePaul University. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family and cheering on his daughter at gymnastics and soccer competitions.

Reflecting on his selection, Mr. Doimas stated, “I am honored to be selected by the Mayor and City Council to continue serving Santa Barbara in this expanded capacity, and helping to contribute  to the success, stability, and resilience of our city, and I am deeply grateful for the tremendous support of the City Attorney’s Office, whom I consider my extended family, as well as the dedicated staff across all City departments.”

The City looks forward to Mr. Doimas’s continued leadership and dedication in his new role.

For more information about the department, visit City Attorney (SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CityAttorney).

Traducción al español:

SANTA BÁRBARA, Calif. – La Ciudad de Santa Bárbara se complace en anunciar el nombramiento de John Doimas como nuevo abogado municipal (City Attorney), tras un voto del Concejo Municipal. El Sr. Doimas aporta más de 13 años de servicio dedicado a la Ciudad, desempeñándose recientemente como abogado municipal adjunto (Assistant City Attorney), donde ha sido un asesor legal de confianza en algunos de los asuntos más complejos y de mayor impacto para la comunidad.

El Sr. Doimas inició su trayectoria con la Ciudad en 2012 como abogado municipal auxiliar (Deputy City Attorney) y fue ascendido a abogado municipal adjunto en 2017. A lo largo de los años, ha desempeñado un papel fundamental en la formulación de políticas y ordenanzas clave, ha liderado investigaciones delicadas y ha apoyado la creación de la Comisión de Supervisión Civil. Su liderazgo legal ha sido esencial para promover la seguridad habitacional mediante casos de intervención judicial y competencia desleal. Además, ha demostrado un compromiso constante con el servicio público, la transparencia y el bienestar de la comunidad.

El alcalde Randy Rowse elogió el nombramiento y afirmó, “John aporta una combinación poco común de experiencia legal, espíritu colaborativo y profundo conocimiento de nuestra comunidad. Su nombramiento garantiza continuidad, estabilidad y una base legal sólida para el futuro de la Ciudad”.

En su nuevo cargo, el Sr. Doimas se desempeñará como el principal asesor legal de la Ciudad, supervisando la Oficina del Abogado Municipal y brindando asesoría legal al Concejo Municipal, a los departamentos de la Ciudad y a diversas juntas y comisiones.

Originario de Chicago, el Sr. Doimas obtuvo su título de abogado en la Universidad Loyola de Chicago y posee una licenciatura en ciencias políticas e historia de la Universidad DePaul. Fuera del trabajo, disfruta pasar tiempo con su familia y animar a su hija en competencias de gimnasia y fútbol.

Reflexionando sobre su nombramiento, el Sr. Doimas declaró, “Es un honor haber sido seleccionado por el alcalde y el Concejo Municipal para continuar sirviendo a Santa Bárbara en esta nueva capacidad y contribuir al éxito, la estabilidad y la resiliencia de nuestra ciudad. Estoy profundamente agradecido por el tremendo apoyo de la Oficina del Abogado Municipal, a quienes considero mi familia extendida, así como del personal dedicado de todos los departamentos de la Ciudad”.

La Ciudad espera con entusiasmo el liderazgo y la dedicación continuos del Sr. Doimas en su nuevo cargo.

Para más información sobre el departamento, visite City Attorney (SantaBarbaraCA.gov/CityAttorney).

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